Qantas flight QF122 was flying from Queenstown Airport (ZQN) to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), after flames were seen coming from its left engine. The aircraft diverted to Christchurch Airport (CHC) on Saturday afternoon.
Flames Seen From Left Engine
According to AirNav Radar, the plane departed from Queenstown about 4:05 p.m., after being delayed for about 40 minutes after its scheduled 3:25 p.m. departure. It landed in Christchurch at 4:58 p.m. after nearly an hour airborne.
All passengers of the Boeing 737-800 disembarked safely after landing. Multiple ambulances were on standby at Christchurch Airport, but RNZ reported that emergency personnel had not been required to assess or treat anyone.
ABC has reported that both engines remained operational throughout the flight, with no engine shutdown or failure reported. Both Queenstown and Christchurch airports have also had no major interruptions to scheduled services.
Cause of Incident Remains Unknown
The Civil Aviation Authority initially reported that the flames were caused by a bird strike but later amended its statement, saying the cause remains unknown. Nic Chamberlain, a witness to the incident, told RNZ, “It was like just shoots of orange flames shooting out the back. You can tell it was coming out of the left engine.”
Qantas released a statement regarding the incident,
“One of our flights to Sydney experienced a suspected engine issue after take-off from Queenstown this afternoon and the aircraft diverted to Christchurch. Our pilots are highly trained to manage situations like this and the aircraft landed safely. We know this would have been a distressing experience for passengers and will be contacting all customers to provide support.”
Qantas is providing support to passengers who may be experiencing distress following the incident and has offered accommodation and assistance arranging alternative flights.
What do you think Qantas could have done to ensure the safety of passengers following an incident like this? Let us know in the comments!
